Today on the #CoffeeTable, we sat down with Elizabeth, Owner and Lead Designer of Posh Petals in Grand Rapids, to get real ideas about where to start creating your vision with a wedding florist.

Floral designers do much more than just supply the bouquet! They help create the look and mood for your wedding ceremony, as well as centerpieces and other table decorations for the reception. They add the floral flourishes for the wedding party (don’t forget the boutonnieres for the guys!), and some may even work with your cake designer to provide embellishments.

Needless to say, you and your floral designer will have a lot to talk about!

Posh Petals starts with you—the bride, the husband, the employer, the flower-lover. They take your favorite colors, most-loved flowers, and personal preferences as inspiration to lovingly create unique and gorgeous floral bouquets.

I always ask people to bring me their top 3 bouquets so I can get feel for what they like. Being able to see their style is really helpful to us.

-Elizabeth

01. Do you like when brides give you a picture to recreate, or do you prefer to free form?

We definitely like to do freeform, but it’s nice to have a photo for inspiration. Even if someone brings us a photo and asks “will you recreate this?” The answer is “no,” because I didn’t make that bouquet, and flowers are grown in nature. I can’t guarantee it’s going to look exactly like that flower or be the exact same color. Photos online are also edited, and the colors of the blooms can appear different on screen than in real life.

I always ask people to bring me their top 3 bouquets so I can get feel for what they like. Being able to see their style is really helpful to us.

02. What should a bride consider when choosing floral designs?

I think the main thing to consider is their style. We have people that come in that are so concerned with budget, that they only consider, “what is going to be the most cost effective option for me?” Make sure to tell me your favorite flower and we’ll work together to find a way to use them in some way, within your budget. If the price is still too high, then we can find other things to substitute so you can still get that flower.

Seasons are important in some areas of floral, but with there being growers all over the country and world that we source product from, blooms and foliages are available to us more often than before. Pricing actually fluctuates just as much based on supply and demand. So sometimes, when a product is in season and very trendy, we pay just as much, if not more, than we would in the off-season.

03. What are some unique florals that you’ve made for men?

We love boutonnieres! I have a groom coming up that brought us super hero pins, so they’re doing some greenery with super hero pins. We’ve created some before with little fly fishing ties, so there are a lot of cute ideas that you can do, and we find a way to incorporate them without looking tacky. That’s key!

04. Personally, what are your favorite florals to work with?

I’m obsessed with ranunculus. That’s always been my favorite, but then I also love some things that people don’t always see, which would be clematis and sweet peas. They are whimsical and just look like little butterflies. People love garden roses and peony, but they don’t always see those smaller flowers that really add a lot of texture and movement and lots of different elements to those bouquets.

05. What trends are you seeing for 2018?

We’re seeing people bring in more color, which is so nice! I love blush, I’m a romantic too, but I’m glad to see people bring in some color. For example, if a client wants to have all blush blooms, I sometimes encourage bringing in a touch of a different color so it stands out and doesn’t look like other weddings out there.

I think brides are really open to that right now, where nobody wants their wedding to look the same as someone else, and when they go on Pinterest they’re seeing all these images that are all the same. So we try to say, “don’t you want your bouquet to stand out on Pinterest? So let’s do something a little bit different and add that pop of color!”

Last weekend we did a wedding that was so colorful! They had blue linens with all of these vibrant blooms in it, and it was so stunning and really stands out.

06. What do you think is an under-appreciated petal ?

Sometimes roses have the same stigma that carnations do. They’re too traditional for some people or they remind them of something else. Roses come in so many different colors and so many different shapes and sizes, even spray roses. You can get a lot of color from them.

People will say they don’t like roses because they’re too normal, and I say “yeah, but have you seen this one? This is a latte colored one, or this is taupe. Your colors are champagne and this rose comes in that exact color that you want and no other flower comes in this color.”

When people want to be different and don’t want to use roses because they’re too normal, it’s important to remember that there is a difference between a rounded bouquet of all white roses and adding pops of champagne or latte colored rose that fits your style and color palette perfectly.

Posh Petals would love to help create beautiful memories of your wedding today!

Posh Petals works on multiple weddings and has been in the business for more than 10 years, so Elizabeth and her team definitely have the experience and knowledge to help you get the most out of your vision.

To check out more of her amazing work, take a look at their website and connect on Instagram and Facebook. Drop Posh Petals a line and tell them Paper Hat sent you!